


Puppies Breath

by baeconandeggs, versatiyeol (kaileidohscope)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Domestic, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Pining, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-29 12:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19020148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaileidohscope/pseuds/versatiyeol
Summary: And it was like this, a bed full of warmth, happiness, and love that Chanyeol realized all his wishes had come true.





	Puppies Breath

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** BAE002  
>  **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.  
>   
> 
> **Author's Note:** Hello everyone! First off, to owner of this prompt- I slightly drifted away from the specifics of this prompt, however the overall gist is still there, so I hope that it's alright and still enjoyable for you!
> 
> I'd like to thank the BAE Mods for their never ending patience with me, and I'd like to thank G and E for being there to listen to me whine (and panic most of the time)
> 
> This is mostly just a heap of simple fluff and love (and puppies) so enjoy! It may not be very intricate, but I'd say it's pretty cute ♡´･ᴗ･`♡

For the first time in about four hours, Chanyeol looked up from the heaping pile of scribbled notes and textbooks sprawled out on the desk in front of him. If it weren’t for the insistent pawing at his ankle, he wouldn't have noticed the tiny presence right beside him.

“What is it, Toben?” He asked with a yawn, addressing the small black poodle staring up at him with impatience. The dog shuffled closer before sitting on his haunches with a whine, stretching his neck up to rest his head on Chanyeol's leg. After ruffling the top of his head, Chanyeol looked at the clock on the wall as he sat back in his chair, arms stretching above his head. He had an important exam coming up on Monday, so his whole weekend was dedicated to a strict studying schedule. He had started at about nine that morning, and it was a little past noon now. Toben must be ready for his midday potty break. “You need to go potty?”

Toben yipped as he jumped up and bounced towards the door, yapping a few more times as Chanyeol chuckled softly and finally lifted himself out of his chair. “Alright, alright, hold on. Let's put your harness on, okay?”

As if on queue, his stomach growled. He hadn't eaten anything since early in the morning - perhaps he could squeeze in a small lunch break. He would already be out, anyway. “How ‘bout we stop by _Aunt Doh's Bakery_ too, huh? Maybe Kyungsoo will sneak us some freebies today.”

Toben barked with excitement at the mention of one of his favorite humans, the one who gave sweet treats and the best belly rubs. Chanyeol laughed, grabbing Toben's harness off the hook by the door and kneeling down to strap it onto the boisterous puppy circling his feet.

 

 _Aunt Doh's Bakery_ was a quaint little establishment just on the outskirts of downtown Seoul, about a block or so out from Chanyeol's university -- where food trucks lined the streets and antique stores and old bookshops resided.

The bakery was owned by the Doh family, whose youngest son, Kyungsoo, was one of Chanyeol’s friends. Kyungsoo also attended the university just down the road and thus juggled studies and part-time hours for the meantime, but it was likely he'd take over the business later in his life. For now, he settled for working the cash register and greeting customers.

Chanyeol ordered a handful of hotteok and a bungeoppang to go, and made sure to sweet talk his way into a _Friends Exclusive_ discount, which made Kyungsoo roll his eyes but concede to it anyway. “That's not gonna work every time, you know that, right? These discounts come out of _my_ paycheck.” 

“Aw, you wouldn't make your _favorite_ customer pay full price, now would you?” Chanyeol gave a dimpled grin and rest his elbows on the counter, chin propped on his hands with exaggerated cuteness as he fluttered his lashes.

Toben hopped up against the wall, too short for his paws to reach the counter, and Kyungsoo tickled his nose and snuck him a small bit of sticky rice cake instead paying his tall owner any mind. “I absolutely would, cheapskate. And speaking of favorite customers,” the shorter said, glancing back at the clock above his head, “he should be coming by any second now, so get lost already.”

Chanyeol's sugary expression fell, blowing a childish raspberry at his friend before straightening up from the counter and tugging Toben's leash gently. “Why don't you just make a move on him already? This shy loverboy act is getting old.”

“ _You're_ one to talk,” Kyungsoo scoffed, sliding Chanyeol his order in a small paper bowl with some napkins, “Last I checked, you haven't exactly made any moves on that one dude you’ve got googly eyes for in your advanced algebra class. What was his name- Byun Baekhyun or whatever?”

Chanyeol's ears heated slightly at the mention of his longtime crush, hurriedly gathering his food. “That's _different_ ,” Chanyeol pouted.

“It's not, really.” Kyungsoo commented offhandedly, snapping a lid on the plastic iced coffee cup before handing that over to Chanyeol as well. “Except that you're _scared_ of him.”

“I am not _scared_ of him, you jerk, he's just- he's intimidating is all,” Chanyeol defended, flustered and embarrassed. “You've seen him! He looks like he'd be an asshole. Especially to someone like me.”

Kyungsoo cocked a skeptical brow at that, wiping off some sticky residue on his fingers on a small hand towel, “Except you _know_ that he's not an asshole, and that you're just a big baby.” 

“Whatever,” Chanyeol grumbled, sending the cashier a parting glare as he guided Toben towards the exit. “Have fun pining, _loverboy_.”

“Right back at you.”

It was warm out on that mid-spring day, so the sun was out and high in the sky, people crowding the downtown sidewalks with sweet treats and bright smiles on their faces. A soft breeze ruffled through Chanyeol's hair, and he smiled down at his little dog trotting beside him as they walked along. He figured a little more fresh air wouldn't be too bad before he got back to studying. “Wanna visit the park today?”

Toben barked excitedly, scampering a few feet ahead and pulling Chanyeol into a couple stumbled steps. The park was just down the street, gated with an old, weathered, wooden fence and maple trees lining the property. It wasn't necessarily considered a dog park, per se, but just about everyone and their mom brought their canine friends along. It was one of Toben's favorite places in the whole world, because Chanyeol trusted him enough to let him off the leash.

 

Chanyeol claimed one of the picnic tables out towards the open field, away from the chaotic playground equipment and screaming children. He set his _hotteok_ and iced coffee down, _bungeoppang_ still in hand as Toben pulled anxiously at his leash. He was already focused on the couple other dogs already out in the field, chasing a tennis ball and running amongst each other.

“Alright, alright,” Chanyeol mumbled humorously, fond of the little poodle's impatience. He leaned down and unclipped the leash from his collar with relative ease, throwing out a warning to “ _play nice_!” as Toben dashed off towards a grey-speckled terrier dog.

He curled the leash up and set it off to the side on the picnic table, taking a mouthful of bungeoppang and arranging his _hotteok_ in a neat stack. It was a beautiful day, the early days of spring where the wind is still chilly but the sun is hot if you stand under its rays for too long. A single pancake into his _hotteok_ and he was already feeling too warm, so he unzipped his light jacket and shrugged it off his shoulders. He tied it half heartedly around his waist, pushing the short-sleeves of his tee up to give the breeze full range of his arms. Maybe it was sunny enough to get some tan.

Toben was busy sniffing out the underside of a shrub, nose down and tail alert. Chanyeol watched as a round corgi pup waddled over to join the investigation, its fuzzy bottom wagging more than its little nubby tail in its excitement. Toben's ears perked up at the new friend, moving his curiosity from the shrub to the corgi now attempting to play with him.

The little pup was slightly smaller than the poodle, wobbling a little as it attempted to jump up at him. Toben jumped back before kneeling into a playful stance. The corgi fumbled over himself with a little yip, the prospect playing just entirely too exciting for him to handle. Toben pounced close to him before dashing off, the pup immediately running after him as fast as his little legs could take him

Chanyeol chuckled fondly, swallowing the bite of food in his mouth before washing it down with a mouthful of coffee.

“Is that one yours?” A timber voice suddenly spoke, startling him. With wide eyes he looked behind himself where the voice had come from - and his eyes widened even _further._ There, in all his intimidating beauty, was his crush. Byun Baekhyun. Looking at him with a friendly smile and eyes slightly squinted under the sun.

He choked immediately, slapping a hand over his mouth as some of his drink dribbled out from his lips with a stifled cough. Baekhyun blinked and took a slight backwards step, Chanyeol's outburst apparently startling him just as a much as little droplets of iced coffee sprayed on his shoes. Which were very nice shoes, Chanyeol mournfully noted whilst trying not to keel over. A moment later Baekhyun was hurriedly patting his upper back, an unsure chuckle tinkling into Chanyeol's ears like wind chimes.

“Shit, I'm sorry. I jumpscared you, huh?”

Chanyeol shook his head, a flustered mess as he snatched some napkins to wipe his face. Baekhyun's hand was small and warm on his back, placed gently as if he were made of glass.

“No no- it's okay,” Chanyeol rasped, swallowing thickly as he gathered himself. His face was probably tomato-red and his eyes were definitely watery - and it _definitely_ wasn't cute. _Kill me._ “U-um- sorry, what were you asking?”

Baekhyun's lips settle into a lopsided smile and the hand once patting Chanyeol's back now rests against his brow, casting a shadow over his eyes. “I was asking, is that your poodle out there?” He repeats, jutting a slender finger towards the little cloud of black mouthing playfully at the little corgi biting his ears.

Chanyeol stares at the appendage before belatedly following its direction. “Oh! Yes!” He sounds so eager and formal, an invisible _‘sir’_ might as well be tacked onto the end of his simple exclaim. His ears flushed subconsciously, a soft rosey shade of embarrassment. “ _Yeah_ \- uh, his name is Toben.” He added as an afterthought, quelling the nerves in his voice to put on a much more casual front.

Both of Baekhyun's brows scrunched slightly, but his friendly smile stayed intact. “Toben?”

Chanyeol felt a wave of subtle shyness. “It's kind of a play on Beethoven. ‘Cause like, Beethoven- Toven- _Toben_.”

“Oh that's clever.” Baekhyun said, and mumbled the name to himself a couple times under his breath as if testing the syllables and confirming his liking of them. Chanyeol didn't know why he was expecting him to laugh about it or tease him- Baekhyun isn't like that. He knows he isn't, and yet he was still anxious.

“Well, Meongryong seems to like him quite a bit.” Baekhyun chuckled, casting a fond look towards the corgi pup.

“Oh- Is that _your_ corgi?” Chanyeol gaped. He didn't know Baekhyun had a dog- a puppy no less, despite them living on the same dorm floor. But it's not exactly like they see each other all the time and they’re not the best of friends, so there's no reason why he _would_ know this.

Baekhyun huffed out a laugh, “Well, sorta. I'm actually fostering him. I work at that animal shelter just down the road- you know the one, _Kim's Canine Sanctuary_? He's a rescue, so I'm just kind of socializing him for adoption.”

Baekhyun was busy watching the dogs roughhouse. Chanyeol was staring up at the man, watching his lips curve with annunciation. His hair was dark and pushed flat under a backwards cap, his clothes were stylish yet simple. His shoes were expensive and still splotted with coffee.

Chanyeol grabbed the last of his napkins, quickly leaning down and blotting the rubber outsole of his reeboks. “Gosh, I'm really sorry! I didn’t mean to spit coffee on you, I can pay you back if these are damaged!”

“No, no, don't worry about it!” Baekhyun assured with a chuckle, holding still as Chanyeol daintily wiped his shoes clean. The taller then noticed some more coffee splotting the shins of his white sweats.

“ _Ahh_ I hope it isn't stained!” Chanyeol all but whined, pulling at the loose fabric near the knee. He scrubbed at the little brown splotches, following the speckled spray up the length of Baekhyun's leg to were it ended mid-thigh. And it was there, with his face right in front of his crush's crotch, that he realized- _oh_ this is quite awkward, perhaps he should stop.

He glanced up, doe-eyed, to find Baekhyun with an amused little look on his face, cocking a brow at him. He quickly sat up straight, fumbling with the napkins as he stuttered out an apology. “S-Sorry, I-” Oh god Baekhyun definitely thinks he's a weirdo. And an idiot. An _imbecile_. It's been less than five minutes and he's already managed to make a complete _fool_ of himself-

“Huh. Jongin was right after all. You're very cute.”

Wait- _what?_

“What?”

Baekhyun burst into the brightest laugh he'd ever heard, mouth so rectangular Chanyeol could probably count all the teeth in his mouth if he tried. The wide smile softened before he got the chance, and Baekhyun was speaking again. “I said you're very cute.”

Chanyeol was completely blank, gobsmacked. Wait a second. Did Baekhyun mention Jongin before? Kyungsoo's Jongin? The Jongin that Kyungsoo likes?

“Wait, you know Jongin?” He hurriedly asked. This could be a perfect opportunity to get a foot in for Kyungsoo. Just selling bread to his crush and smiling like an idiot surely isn't gonna get him anywhere anytime soon.

Baekhyun's smile shifted unobtrusively, and his brows slightly creased. He regarded Chanyeol for an unreadable moment- a moment that Chanyeol was a little too oblivious to notice. “Yeah. We're dorm neighbors, actually.”

“My best friend has the biggest crush on him! Um- his name is Kyungsoo; he works at the bakery up the street.” Chanyeol jutted a thumb over his shoulder as his enthusiasm tapered off into an awkward sort of silence. He noticed the way Baekhyun was eyeing him then, with a muted hue of amusement. His neck warmed in misplaced embarrassment. “What?”

Baekhyun gave a half-chuckle-half-snicker thing that sent Chanyeol's tummy fluttering. “It's funny, you're doing the same thing Kyungsoo did when I met him.”

Chanyeol blinked. “Huh? Y-You know Kyungsoo?”

“Yeah, I went to his bakery the other day and the first thing he told me was that his best friend has the biggest crush on me.” Baekhyun explained, looking down as he pushed a stray rock into the dirt below his shoe. Then he looked back to the taller with coyish little smile. “ _Best friend_ , which I'm assuming is you.”

Chanyeol's eyes widened, and then he chuckled anxiously. He grabbed his mostly empty cup, fiddling with it to keep his sweaty hands from fidgeting. “He told you that?”

 _Dammit, Kyungsoo._ He was gonna punch him right in his dumb mouth next time he saw him.

“He did.” The shorter confirmed, slightly cocking his head to the side. “Is it true, or have I just been making a fool of myself trying to flirt with you?”

 _F...flirting?_ Baekhyun has been _flirting_ with him? Well he did call Chanyeol cute… Not just once, but twice. Chanyeol couldn't feel his toes. His ears were hot and his face was surely red as tomato by now.

“Well I mean… _Yeah_.” What a lame response.

Baekhyun's laugh was pure sunshine. He raised his brows at the taller, tone sweet like candy. "Yeah?"

It made Chanyeol blush even more as he coughed out a laugh, looking down at his drink. "Yeah." And then it _really_ registered that _Baekhyun_ had called him _cute_ , and his stomach was in heaping mess. "But I'm not cute." He said belatedly, self-conscious and full of denial.

There was no way he was cute. There was no way Baekhyun really thought he was cute.

Baekhyun hummed for a moment of consideration. He sat down next to Chanyeol, facing out towards the park with his arm propped back against the table. "I think you are." He smiled, leaning back a bit to get a view of Chanyeol's face. "But if you don't like that, I think you're very handsome, too."

"No, uh… You can call me cute, I don't mind. It's just, I've never thought of myself as… that, before, so it's just…I don't know." Chanyeol chuckled dismissively. Baekhyun was so close to him now. His cologne was very nice, fruity and delicious; he wouldn't mind scooting a little closer.

They sat in a distilled silence for a couple heartbeats, Baekhyun gazing out towards the playground and Chanyeol crucially analyzing the font on his coffee cup.

"So, what are you up to after this?" Baekhyun casually asked, and Chanyeol suddenly felt like he was being asked on a date. But was he? No. No, surely not. Keep dreaming.

"I'm actually supposed to be studying for my microbiology exam on Monday." He answered ruefully, already dreading going back to his cramped desk of paper and textbooks.

"Oh, really? I'm supposed to be studying, too." Baekhyun chuckled.

"For microbiology?" Chanyeol raised a brow. He'd never seen Baekhyun in his class before, maybe he had it at a different time.

"Algebra, actually." He sheepishly admitted, "My grade is…not too great at the moment."

"Oh," Chanyeol blinked. "Um…I can help you, if you want? I'm pretty good at math."

A corner of Baekhyun's lips tugged upwards as he nodded, "Sure, I'd like that." He was gazing at Chanyeol now, with his dark puppy eyes and little smile.

Chanyeol's brain stammered over a few half-formed thoughts, eyes stuck on Baekhyun's lips as he fished his phone out of his pocket. "Here, uh, should I give you my number?"

Baekhyun nodded, smile blooming a little brighter. "Yeah, I'll text you!" He beamed enthusiastically, pulling his phone out as well. "Would this weekend be good for you?" He asked, opening his contacts list as Chanyeol did the same.

Chanyeol bit his lower lip, a little overwhelmed but unable to hide his shy smile. They exchanged phones, Chanyeol being extra careful not to drop the shorter's from his antsy hands, and typed their numbers into each others contacts. "Um- yes! I'll have do a little studying of my own, but I don't have any other plans."

He didn't know what he should put as his contact name, so he stuck with something simple and set it as _'Park Chanyeol'_ before offering it back. Baekhyun had a cheeky grin on his face as he typed away on Chanyeol's, clicking the phone’s lock button before handing it back. He stood up a moment later, stuffing his own phone into his back pocket.

"Great, I'll try my best to help you with your studying too, but I can't make any promises at how _helpful_ I'll actually be." Baekhyun chuckled as he stood up from the bench. He looked out towards the field and cupped his hands around his mouth, "Mongryeongie! Come on, puppy!"

The little corgi pup paused in its roughhouse, ears perking up as his head whipped towards Baekhyun's directions. Toben was laid on the ground, head slightly tilted as if wondering why his little buddy suddenly stopped playing. When Mongryeong excitedly took off towards the picnic table, the poodle immediately dashed after him in a one-sided game of chase.

Chanyeol chuckled amusedly, glancing up at Baekhyun to see him wearing a matching smile.

"Come on, boy, time to go!" Baekhyun said as the corgi jumped up on him, barely reaching his knees. Toben was still wild and rowdy, running around the pinic table with loud yaps and barks until Chanyeol leant down to give him some playful pats.

"I should be going, then." Baekhyun said with a sigh, scooping the little corgi pup into his arms rather than leashing him. "Talk to you...soon?" Chanyeol probably imagined the hopeful edge to the question, but he was pretty sure it was there.

The taller nodded with a smile, "Yeah! Talk to you soon." He promised shyly. They exchanged wide smiles before his crush walked off towards one of the gaps of wooden fence, Chanyeol watching him go in a flowery daze.

What just happened? An hour ago he was wistfully thinking about his crush, and now suddenly he's got a study date with him…

The universe was truly…something, huh.

Blinking, Chanyeol grabbed his phone and unlocked it, quickly going to his contacts to check Baekhyun's number and possibly (secretly) change the set name to something grossly cute. He paused when he noticed a strange name, face instantly heating up as he realized there was no need for any secret mushy contact name changing- Baekhyun has gone ahead and done it himself.

_'Chanyeollie's Crush (♥ó㉨ò)ﾉ♡'_

-

Chanyeol gazed fondly at the contact photo on his screen, a picture he'd snapped in secret as his boyfriend was in the middle of slurping a big mouthful of noodles. As unflattering as one would usually look at such a moment, Baekhyun seemed to have an innate ability to look good. Everything he did was attractive; no matter what the angle, he was always pretty. Chanyeol was envious, but more so in awe that an average guy such as himself was able to call this man his. Able to receive this man's affections and be loved by him.

His gaze drifted to the contact name just below the picture. _'Chanyeollie's Crush (♥ó㉨ò)ﾉ♡'_ \- the one Baekhyun had set for himself two years ago that stayed unchanged- even till now. Back before they had any romantic relationship or even knew each other that well. His smile softened, a swell of emotion blurring his vision as he thought back to their first true meeting. And to think, two years from then, he'd be here…in his crush's bed, half-dressed, with said crush cozied up against his side.

Baekhyun was sound asleep, as Chanyeol should be too. It was well past midnight, but the taller had gotten a bit caught up in his memories as he looked through the old photos on his phone, trying to delete them.

One from their first date, others taken with mischievous intent, all blurred smiles and frozen laughter. Some candid. Baekhyun curled up in the bed of Chanyeol's old dorm room, one of him gazing out towards the sunrise, eyes heavy with sleep and silhouette absolutely stunning. A handful of naughty ones that Chanyeol kept in a hidden folder in case someone went snooping through his phone.

Those made him a little breathless and his face a little warm, especially the few of himself that Baekhyun had taken, because- _"I want you to see how good you look for me… Let me show you how pretty you are."_ And the ones he'd taken of Baekhyun, looking like a sweet cocktail of sin and beauty.

Needless to say, very few photos actually ended up deleted, and Chanyeol storage space was still too full for that new game he wanted to download.

Baekhyun stirred against his chest, legs stretching out before he turned more onto his front and sleepily overlapped one over Chanyeol's. He looked utterly adorable as he lifted his head, cracking and eye open.

"You're still awake?" He mumbled, resting his head over Chanyeol's chest now as the taller man locked his phone and set it aside.

"Yeah, I'm about to go to sleep now." Chanyeol replied, voice slightly thick and little wobbly as the sappy emotions still stayed at the forefront of his brain. Baekhyun lifted his head again, Chanyeol felt the worry in his sleepy gaze.

"Are you crying, Yeol?" He softly asked, sounding a lot more awake now.

"No," Chanyeol said, then gave himself away as he sniffled softly. Baekhyun propped himself up on his elbow, hand finding Chanyeol's cheek almost instantly despite the darkness of their room.

"Are you alright, puppy?" The nickname warmed Chanyeol's chest to unspeakable levels, the gentle concern of Baekhyun's voice soft and quiet. "Did something happen?"

Chanyeol lightly shook his head, blindly wiping away the tears welling in his eyes with a heel of his palm. "No, I was looking through our pictures, and it's just-" he paused to sniffle, "I don't know. I can't believe it still. You're actually mine and I just can't-" He shook his head again, fighting against more warm fuzzy feelings crawling up his tear ducts.

Chanyeol felt a warm puff of air against his chin, a silent chuckle, and a gentle coo before Baekhyun's soft lips found his.

"Of course I'm yours, idiot." Baekhyun whispered fondly, cold nose lightly nudged against Chanyeol upper lip. "How you're mine- now _that's_ something that's unbelievable."

Chanyeol blushed, tilting his chin down slightly to capture those lips again. Baekhyun raised himself up, leaning his chest into Chanyeol's as their sweet kisses took an edge of passion. His fingers were soft and cold against Chanyeol's warm face, cupped against his cheeks as if holding a delicate treasure.

They broke apart for a breath several moments later, Baekhyun bumping Chanyeol's forehead with his own as he traced the back of his fingers along Chanyeol's jaw.

"I love you." A soft proclamation, mumbled yet clear, and despite all the times he'd heard it before, it still sparked the same amount of butterflies in Chanyeol's tummy every time.

"I love you too." He whispered back just as softly, eyes searching for Baekhyun's in the darkness. "I love you," again, even softer, because once was never enough.

They shared several more minutes of soft mumblings between kisses, gentle hands and entwined legs.

There were two big warm lumps at the foot of the bed, one slightly bigger than the other. One, a full grown corgi that liked to splay out on Baekhyun's side, the other, an aged poodle with a silver-speckled muzzle who was much more content curled up in the nook of Chanyeol's long legs. And it was like this, a bed full of warmth, happiness, and love that Chanyeol realized all his wishes had come true.

One day, he planned to change that _'Chanyeollie's Crush (♥ó㉨ò)ﾉ♡'_ name in his contacts list to something a little more fitting, like _'Chanyeollie's Husband (♥ó㉨ò)ﾉ♡'_ , and hopefully that day was soon. Very soon.


End file.
